We Interrupt this Travelogue to Announce the Arrival of Nutmeg Jim

Nutmeg Jim finally appeared tonight. (Ally opted out of being in the photo. Notice Austin's choppy hair in the front where he cut it.)

If you don't know who Nutmeg Jim is, he is the little elf that shows up at our house around the first of December. He keeps an eye on the kids and tells Santa if they've been naughty or nice. (One year Santa actually held back presents from the girls because they would not clean their rooms. They finally got their stuffed Hello Kitty dolls the next summer.) He always goes home with Santa on Christmas Eve.


Nutmeg Jim has been keeping our kids in line for quite a few years now. When Morgan was small, she actually saw him jump down the stairs. One year, Ally was being a pill so Nutmeg Jim came in the car with us and just as she was throwing a fit, Nutmeg Jim appeared. She straightened up in a hurry. It was like magic. I've even called him to come visit us in the summer if we've been having discipline problems.


Austin has been a bit more cynical than the girls. Last year I told him to be good because Nutmeg Jim was watching and he said, "You know he's not real." Also, this year he said "He's not real, he's just stuffed." But, Austin did seem pretty excited when Nutmeg Jim made his appearance, bearing glow sticks. Usually he brings us ornaments for our tree, but this year we've done everything out of order so that's what we got. One year Nutmeg Jim brought the girls flannel sheets.


Hopefully Nutmeg Jim will still be able to work his magic for a few more years.